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BMW 1 Series – belly pig
In the 1950s, people mockingly called the BMW 501/502 a “baroque angel”, and this new but already very “old” model nearly bankrupted BMW. Decades followed without bad nicknames. Until Chris Bangle (66) took over the design. In part, he future-proofed the brand, for example, with the “iDrive” operating system – but the 1 Series (pictured) from 2004 was nicknamed the “pig-bellied” because of the line. So what? The 1 Series was a hit nonetheless.
British Leyland – British misery
It doesn’t have to be just model aliases: the idea of merging competing brands into a giant and later state-owned company heralded the demise of brands like Alvis, Austin, Morris, Riley, Rover, Triumph, and Wolseley. 1968 and thus the darkest phase of vehicle construction in British history. The name of the new group in accordance with the Krone spirit: British Leyland. Low scores like the ugly and qualitatively awful 1973 Austin Allegro (pictured) soon turned it into “British misery.”
Glas 2600/BMW 3000 – Glaserati
In fact, Hans Glas († 79) from Dingolfing near Munich D could be satisfied. The Goggomobil was a hit and the sedans were progressive. But then he demanded a lot: his glass 2600 from 1965 drove him straight into bankruptcy instead of going up. No one would buy a V8 luxury coupe mocked as “Glaserati” for its resemblance to a Maserati. BMW caught it, delivering a few more coupes with the BMW logo as the 3000 (pictured) – and it ended in 1968 with the Glas brand.
Hanomag 2/10 PS – bread picking
About Hanomag 2/10 PS from 1925 to 1928 “A kilo of sheet metal, a kilo of paint – and Hanomag is done!” Customers preferred to buy “real” cars like the Citroën plagiarized Opel 4 PS (“Tree Frog”) for a little more money. Also, because the Hanomag shape is reminiscent of the tasteless military and emergency bread of the First World War – the “commission bread”.
Lloyd 300 – leucoplast bomber
In the 1950s, it was said, “If you’re not afraid of death, drive Lloyd.” From 1950 to 1952, the micromobile Lloyd 300 had a plywood body covered in faux leather, which, along with the loud 10 hp two-stroke engine, didn’t exactly leave a feeling of security. In addition, the rough coating was somewhat similar to Leukoplast’s medical plaster adhesive tape, and Lloyd immediately called it “Leukoplastbomber”.
Mercedes LP 315 – advent calendar
After other truck manufacturers, Mercedes made the leap from the classic camion with the long hood to the forward-controlled vehicle where the driver sits in front of the engine rather than behind it. Stricter length and weight regulations led to the LP 315 in 1955. Drivers reacted with anger – because instead of just the hood, one of the maintenance wings had to be opened to fill the oil. They immediately called it the “Advent Calendar”.
Mercedes 200 D – traveler dune
Mercedes made history with the first diesel passenger car in 1936, and when their weaknesses became obsolete, they earned the name “Wanderdune” with indestructible but lethargic diesel engines. On the 200 D of the 1968 “Stroke Eight” series (pictured), it took 34 seconds to reach 100 km/h in a desperate battle of 55 hp against 1.4 tons with the automatic. No more limping from 1978.
Smart ForTwo – elephant roller skates
No car has had to listen to so many bad things as the ForTwo, designed by Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek († 82) and then built as a Smart by Daimler. When it debuted as a Smart City coupé in 1998, the 2.50-metre short speedster received much praise, but also received much criticism and much ridicule: “asphalt balloon”, “infirmary elevator”, “Hueschteguets” or “lightning” like the Isetta. ball”. » – but no nickname is as wonderfully rude as “elephant skating.”
VW 1600 TL – Sad solution
Launched in 1965, the 1600 TL was originally intended to be the noble sibling of the notched and station wagon 1500 models that have been on the market since 1961. But locals quickly reinterpreted the TL abbreviation, the official “touring limousine”, as a “sad solution”. VW recognized the hatchback design flaw and kept the type and abbreviation, but the following year delivered the sedan and variant (estate) as the 1600 with a larger engine and more equipment.
VW 411/412 – trim
With the 1600 (pictured), VW had already missed the mark of the times and had not offered a four-door model, so the popular phrase mocked the 411 from 1968 as “4 doors, 11 years too late”. Added to this was the clumsy design: the “coati” was born. Besides sticking to the outdated rear engine, this one ended up being a failure. When the 411 upgraded to the 412 was retired in 1974, VW would have gone bankrupt had it not been for the Audi 80 converted into a Passat.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
